Forget Not Yet
by horse-w-no-name
Summary: Is it too soon to forgive? Is love a blessing, or could it be the undoing of the world?
1. Chapter 1

These characters are property of Squaresoft  
  
Forget not Yet  
  
by horse_w_no_name  
  
Forget not yet the tired intent  
Of such a truth as I have meant;  
My great travail so gladly spent  
Forget not yet!  
  
Forget not yet when first began  
The weary life ye know, since whan  
The suit, the service none tell can;  
Forget not yet!  
  
Forget not yet the great assays,  
The cruel wrong, the scornful ways,  
The painful patience in denays,  
Forget not yet!  
  
Forget not! oh! forget not this,  
How long ago hath been, and is  
The mind that never meant amiss-  
Forget not yet!  
  
Forget not then thine own approved,  
The which so long hath thee so loved,  
Whose steadfast faith yet never moved-  
Forget not this!  
  
(-Sir Thomas Wyatt- Forget not Yet-)  
  
  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
  
  
Cloud Strife stood in the doorway watching Tifa Lockheart sleep.   
He had been standing there for at least an hour, and he had a feeling   
that an hour form now he would still be standing there...still   
standing watching this sleeping angel. The dawn was beginning   
to break, and the sunrise cast a warm light over the bed that   
caressed her beautiful face. Her long brown hair lay about her   
body, and sections of it fell in front of her as she turned on her   
side. The sunlight created streaks of gold in her hair as it cascaded   
down across the bed. Tifa put one of her arms under her pillow and   
a sweet beautiful smile spread across her angelic face. Cloud knew   
that she must have been having a wonderful dream. He did not dare   
to wake her. She was so beautiful, so peaceful.  
  
Then the tantalizing sent of bacon invaded his nostrils. Shera was   
obviously now up. He knew that any second now Cid would come   
down the hall and yell at him to get his spiky headed butt in the kitchen   
for breakfast. Somehow Cloud found it impossible to tear his eyes   
away from this angel. She even looked like an angel. The white silk   
nightgown she wore shimmered in the morning light.  
  
Slowly, and ever so quietly, he walked over to the bed. Each step gave   
him a different view of Tifa, each more beautiful than the last. He   
almost had to pause between steps to take in each new view. Finally   
he reached the head of the bed.  
  
/Today's the day./ He thought to himself. It was the exact same   
phrase he told himself every morning as he went through this ritual.   
Every morning he got up before the crack of dawn to watch Tifa   
sleep, because he knew it would take him that long to work up the   
courage to disturb her sleep. Every day he tried to find a moment   
where he could talk to her alone. He wanted to tell her...tell her   
how he felt. He had kept his feelings bottled up for so long that it   
was just too hard to set them free. So each day he failed to express   
his love.  
  
As he stood over her, he felt as though his heart would burst. His   
arms ached to hold her. He wanted nothing more than to gather her  
into his arms and hold her as close and as tight as he could. He   
wanted to kiss her sweet lips and tell her everything. He longed   
to run his fingers through her beautiful soft brown hair.  
  
Instead he gently rubbed her arm to wake her. Her skin felt soft   
and delicate under his fingers. Slowly her crimson eyes opened   
and looked into his face. A smile spread across her lips, and she   
stretched her arms out across the bed. She sighed with deep   
contentment and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Just five more minutes." She whispered. Cloud chuckled lightly.   
Even her first words of the day were like music to him. She stretched   
again then sat up. Thick bunches of hair fell over her shoulders, and   
she reached down to smooth out her nightgown. Again she stretched,   
but then she just fell backwards onto the bed. She and Cloud both   
laughed lightly. Tifa reached up an arm silently asking Cloud to help   
her up. One quick jerk had her standing next to him.  
  
Cloud held her hand a moment longer than was necessary. He noticed,   
but she didn't. Her attention was already turned towards getting ready   
for the day. Slowly, Cloud began to back out of the room. When he   
was half way there he stopped. Tifa looked up curiously at him. He   
seemed very uncomfortable as he stood there scratching his head. She   
clearly recognized it as his universal gesture of nervousness.  
  
"Cloud, what's wrong?" His blue eyes stared into hers. He held them   
for a moment, then quickly looked at the floor. Tifa always worried   
about him, and this time was no exception. He had been acting strange   
for several days now. There was definitely something that he just   
wasn't telling her.  
  
"Tifa, I...I uh...that is I..." She walked up to him and took both of   
his hands in her own. Cloud's heart thundered in his chest as she   
reached up to brush a lock of hair out of his face that had separated   
from one of his spikes.  
  
"It's okay...you can..."  
  
"Hey you two! Come and get it before it's gone!" Cid Highwind's   
voice always seemed to shake the house. Cloud sighed and shook his   
head. Tifa let go of his hands and ran to the door.  
  
"Just a minute!" She shouted, then she turned back to Cloud. He   
smiled weakly at her, and she sighed. "I'm sorry Cloud. We'll talk   
about it later." Then she quickly trotted off down the hall to the   
bathroom leaving Cloud standing there alone. When he was sure she   
was gone, he smacked himself on the forehead.  
  
"Stupid! Stupid!" He plopped down on the bed for a moment, and   
rested his chin in his hands. /Why can't I just say it? I love you Tifa.   
Just four simple little words./ Slowly he stood up and walked into the   
kitchen. Shera was busy getting everything on the table for breakfast.   
It didn't surprise Cloud that Cid wasn't helping. Shera probably kept   
a loaded gun in one of the cabinets in case Cid tried to cook anything.   
The egocentric pilot was in the other room having his morning smoke.   
Cloud wondered how Shera could stand being around him. Cid reeked  
of cigarette smoke twenty-four hours a day. Perhaps by now she was   
used to it.  
  
Tifa came in wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and green socks. That was   
another thing Cloud couldn't quite figure out. Why she liked to wear   
green socks. She had almost twenty pairs of them. He asked her once   
why she wore them. She just shrugged her shoulders and said they were   
comfortable.  
  
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Tifa asked as she sat down.   
She experimentally poked at her eggs with her fork. Fried eggs were   
definitely not one of her favorite foods. Somehow it always grossed   
her out when you broke the top and the yellow mush inside all came   
spilling out. She never complained though. If she did, Cid would   
probably say something about how lucky they were that he even let   
them stay in his house.  
  
"Reeve asked if we would go to the Shinra building in Midgar and   
get some files for him." Cloud said as he sat down next to Tifa. As   
soon as he mentioned Midgar, a nervous expression crossed her   
face. That place really gave him the creeps too. It was a giant   
graveyard polluted by people who were still looting the buildings.   
It was advised that you not go there unless you had a good weapon,   
and a large supply of strong materia. However, even the boldest   
looters didn't go into the Shinra building. It was said that strange   
noises were heard coming from inside it.  
  
"Pain in the *#$! Forget it!" Cid yelled. Cloud gathered that the   
idea of going to the Shinra building didn't seem that fantastic to   
Cid either. "Let that freak get his own crap out of there!" Tifa  
looked up at Cid with her soft crimson eyes.  
  
"Cid you know he can't do that. Reeve still has yet to fully recover   
from the wounds he received while he was trying to save as many   
people as he could." She took a sip of her orange juice and looked   
back over at Cloud.  
  
"She's right Cid. Well I guess we'd better get going right after   
breakfast." Cloud was silent the rest of the meal as he pondered   
whether or not there might be something to those rumors about   
the Shinra building.   
  
**********************************************  
  
/This sucks./ Reeve sat in his wheelchair looking out of his window.   
He had long ago grown tired of wheeling himself around because   
of his two broken legs. He had concluded that he could at least try   
to get some programs up and running in the new government. The   
only way he could really do that was if he could get his hands on   
the old Shinra files. That meant sending someone into the ruins   
of Midgar. Reeve had offered Cloud and whomever he took with   
him a considerable amount of money for doing this, but Cloud had   
refused.  
  
Reeve's nurse came in to give him more painkillers. He never  
really liked doctors. It was his belief that they were both a blessing   
and curse to the world. He had to feel sorry for them though. No  
one was ever happy to see them.  
  
"How are you doing today sir?" The nurse asked. Reeve drummed   
his fingers on the arm of his chair, and stared at her. She was in   
her mid twenties, and she had her red hair pulled back in a tight   
ponytail. Basically she was a very cheerful person, sometimes   
almost too cheerful. Today was one of those days. Reeve was   
feeling depressed as usual. He wanted to get out and do something,   
anything. But he knew that he was condemned to a day of watching   
television, or looking out the window. He also wanted some real  
food. Not this hospital mush. It all tasted like paste.  
  
The nurse deposited a tray of the horrible food on the table next to  
him. She smiled and strolled out of the room. He reached over   
and picked up the carton of juice. It wasn't orange juice, and it   
wasn't orange drink. The label said Orange Juice Drink. /Whatever./   
It tasted like someone stuck and orange lollipop in a glass of   
water and let it dissolve.  
  
Suddenly Cloud, Tifa, and Cid came in. "Hi guys! What can   
I do for you?" Reeve asked, though he had a pretty good idea   
why they were here, and Cloud's reply confirmed his suspicions.  
  
"We just wanted to check in before we went to Midgar so we   
could ask about where the files are." Cloud sat on the bed looking  
at Reeve. Tifa sat on the table and picked up the carton of juice.   
After reading the label she promptly made a face and put it down.   
She then produced a few bars of chocolate from one of their bags   
and tossed them to Reeve. His eyes lit up like he'd just been   
given a treasure.  
  
"Oh Tifa, I love you." He said. Then he began to devour one of   
the bars. A content look passed over his face; he looked like he   
was on cloud nine. After a while, Reeve noticed that everyone   
was looking expectantly at him. "Oh yeah, sorry. I'm just so   
sick of this hospital food." He motioned towards the tray of   
unmentionables.  
  
"How much longer do you have to stay here?" Cloud asked.   
He was definitely sympathetic with Reeve. Just the smell of   
hospitals made his stomach turn. He glanced at the tray and   
wondered whether or not they were really trying to make him   
better.  
  
"Only about another week. So anyway, about the files. They   
should be in the basement. That's where we always kept the  
backups." Reeve looked at Tifa who was looking around and   
swinging her legs almost like a nervous child. He noticed that   
Cloud was looking at her too. Everyone knew that there were   
unspoken feelings between them. You had to be blind not to   
see it.  
  
"I suggest we get going while there's still plenty of daylight."   
Cloud said. Tifa hopped off of the table and said good bye to   
Reeve. Then they left. From his window, Reeve watched as   
the Highwind raced towards Midgar.   
  
*********************************************  
  
"Oh this is just too perfect! Jonathan! Get that stuff of yours   
into the vents!" Bright red fingernails tapped on the glass of   
the window inside of the Shinra building. A woman with blond   
hair, and wearing a red dress watched as the airship, called   
the Highwind, approached her city. She did not doubt that   
Cloud was on board, there was also no doubt in her mind that  
they would be coming here.  
  
Jonathan busied himself with getting his sleeping gas into the   
ventilation system for the lower floors. If there was anything  
he hated, it was being ordered around. Especially by Scarlet.   
The woman now had scars on one side of her body. Every time   
she looked in the mirror, it fueled her hatred towards Cloud   
and his friends. She was lucky though; she was alive. Heidegger   
had not been so lucky. Now Scarlet was in charge. She knew   
that her only chance of reviving Shinra was to pick up the pieces   
Immediately. It had now been about three months since Meteor   
had almost destroyed the planet.  
  
The last two presidents had made the same terrible mistake that   
cost them their lives. They had allowed Sephiroth to roam freely  
about the planet. She would not make the same mistake. This   
time he would be strictly under her control. That project was   
already thoroughly underway. About a week after the Meteor   
disaster, Sephiroth's body had washed up in Mideel. Scarlet   
was determined to revive him to get rid of Cloud.  
  
********************************************  
  
Red XII sat in Bugenhagen's observatory. Over the past few  
days, strange things had been going on inside the planet. For   
the first time in months he heard the cry of the planet. Something   
was definitely wrong. There seemed to almost be a churning in   
the lifestream. Not just the usual fluxes in the cycle, but it seemed   
like something was trying to push its way back. As a result of   
this, the planet cried out in protest.  
  
"What about the weapons?" Red turned to the man who had asked   
the question. Vincent Valentine sat on a pile of books reading yet  
another book. It amazed Red how fast this man could absorb   
information. Within another month Vincent would know more  
about the planet than even Red did.  
  
"We'll probably just have to wait and see. If the planet really feels   
that something is threatening it, then they might awaken." Red   
turned back to read the report from Mideel. After the whole ordeal   
with Meteor, several bodies had washed up there. At least one of   
them had disappeared a few days after it was found. The description   
of him more than a little unnerved him. It had been a fairly young   
man with loge silver hair. The more he thought about it, the more   
Red felt they should call Cloud.  
  
"Do you think we should tell Cloud about the body?" Red asked.   
Vincent looked up slowly with his blood red eyes. From the look   
on his face Red could tell that he was thinking the same thing.  
  
"It would probably be best if we did tell him and the others." Red   
could tell by the way Vincent talked that wasn't all that he felt, but   
Red was used to Vincent being quiet and distant. He was also   
getting used to figuring out what Vincent meant by his silence.   
This time he could tell that Vincent didn't want to bother Cloud,   
because he'd already done so much. Hardly a day went by that   
the Highwind did not race across the sky; going off on yet another   
errand. Red knew that Cloud envied Red and Vincent a little;   
however, he really wouldn't mind getting away from all these   
books for a couple of days. Vincent pulled out his PHS and   
began to dial Cloud's number.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Cid, Cloud, and Tifa stood on the bridge of the Highwind.   
Tifa loved being up here. There was just such a feeling of  
freedom. She shut her eyes and felt the soft hum of the engines   
under her feet. If she were to walk to the edge and let the wind  
flow over her, she might get the feeling that she was falling.   
When she opened her eyes, she saw Cloud staring at her. He   
quickly turned away and looked into the distance at the rapidly   
approaching ruins of Midgar. Tifa walked over to him and put   
her hand on his arm. He seemed to tense up as soon as she touched  
him. His deep blue eyes turned towards her. Even though they   
were kind of scary, she loved his eyes. It was like looking into   
the purest pools of water, although there had once been much   
confusion and chaos behind those eyes.  
  
"About another ten minutes." Cid announced. He then flicked yet   
another cigarette butt over the side. For a moment it matched the   
ship's path of flight, but then the wind dragged it down.  
  
"You know something Cid, if we were to ever get lost in a forest,   
we'd always be able to follow your trail of cigarette butts back." She   
smiled as he looked at her over his shoulder.  
  
"Watch it Lockheart." Normally Cid would be quite happy to   
beat the crap out of anyone who made a crack about one of his   
two (or three) favorite pastimes. However, he just smiled at   
Tifa, and then turned back to his business of piloting the Highwind.  
  
Suddenly a high-pitched ring broke through the peaceful atmosphere.   
Cloud quickly pulled out his PHS and spoke into the receiver.   
"Hello?" He said. Tifa watched him as he listened intently for   
several minutes. Soon a dark and almost angry expression crossed   
his face; it frightened her. Then he said good bye and hung up.  
  
"Cloud, who was that?" Tifa asked. He just stared off into the   
distance, then he turned away and started to walk off of the bridge.   
Tifa started after him. "Cloud?" She ran up behind him and gently   
grabbed hold of his arm. He just glanced at her over his shoulder.  
  
"I think I need a drink." He then pulled out of her grasp and left the   
bridge. Tifa now stared at the empty space that he had just occupied.   
/What just happened?/ In one moment Tifa had completely lost her  
grip on the situation. Slowly she began to walk towards the door.  
  
"Don't do it Tifa." Cid said, "He obviously needs a moment to   
himself." Tifa turned slowly to look at him. Cid had not even   
turned to look at her, yet he still knew that she was going after   
Cloud.  
  
"I...I'll...just see if there's anything I can do for him." Tifa saw   
Cid shake his head as she walked off. She wasn't quite sure   
where Cloud was. So she, ever so quietly, opened each of the doors.   
Every room was dark and empty. Some of these rooms she had   
never seen before. They seemed to be almost like sleeping quarters,   
but the furniture was dusty and the rooms unkempt. Finally she came   
to a door that was slightly cracked open. She poked her head around   
the corner and saw Cloud sitting at a table. He had his back to her and  
he was leaning over a glass of water. The room was like all the others,   
except for the fact that it was relatively clean. Tifa figured that Cloud  
must sleep in this room when he and Cid are gone for long periods of   
time. Slowly Cloud began to shake his head.  
  
"It can't be..." He said almost inaudibly. Tifa slowly took a step towards   
him. Before she could take another, Cloud threw the glass against the wall.   
She was so startled that she walked backwards until she hit the wall. Cloud   
grabbed another glass and threw it. Rage consumed him and he began to   
throw anything he could get his hands on.  
  
Tifa ducked and fell to the floor as Cloud spun around and threw a tray of   
glasses right at the wall where she'd been standing. She cried out as shards   
of glass tore through the skin on her hands. Cloud stared at her in shock.   
Looking down at her hands, Tifa began to desperately try to pull out the   
tiny fragments of glass. She succeed only in pushing them further into her   
skin. A tear fell from her cheek and mixed with the blood that was now   
dripping on the floor.  
  
"Tifa..." She looked up at him, tears now streaming down her face.   
He looked at her frightened face, all of the anger he'd felt had now   
left his body. Slowly he walked over and knelt in front of her. Gently   
he took her hands in his. A look of pain crossed her face as he began   
to pull out the shards of glass in her hands. For several minutes they   
sat there like this. Cloud working diligently, and Tifa softly sobbing.   
When he was done he looked into her face. /How could I have done   
this?/ He asked himself.  
  
Suddenly Cloud stood up and quickly walked to the bridge. Cid was   
standing there alone piloting the ship. "Change of plans." Cloud said.   
"Take us to Cosmo Canyon." Cid turned and looked quizzically at him.  
  
"What for? We're almost there, in fact I was about to tell you that   
we were ready to land." Cloud looked out of the window, and indeed   
they were hovering just above the ruins of Midgar. Cid still stood   
there, waiting for an explanation.  
  
"Two situations of EXTREME importance have just arisen." Cloud   
saw that Cid noticed his hands covered with blood. However, Cloud  
didn't wait to answer any more of Cid's questions. He abruptly turned   
and went back to see Tifa. She was leaning over the sink washing   
her hands. As he looked at his own hands, tears began to well up in   
his eyes. He squeezed them shut to try to block out the sight, but when   
he closed his eyes, he saw Tifa sitting there desperately trying to pull   
the glass from her hands. Once he opened his eyes again, Tifa was   
gingerly picking up a towel and patting her hands dry. Cloud walked   
over to the sink and quickly washed his hands like Lady Macbeth who   
tried to wash the murder of Duncan from her hands.  
  
When he thought he had cleaned them enough, he quickly splashed   
water over his face. Then he grabbed a towel and dried himself off.   
Before long he could feel the Highwind shifting its course. Tifa   
suddenly looked up at him, confused.  
  
"What's going on?" She asked quietly. Her red eyes seemed to still   
threaten to give way to more tears. Cloud knew what kind of pain she   
must have been feeling.  
  
"We're going to Cosmo Canyon." Tifa arched one eyebrow as though   
asking why. Cloud picked up one of the overturned chairs and motioned  
for Tifa to sit, which she did. She did not however look up at him.   
Her eyes were firmly set on the floor. Cloud realized that she was   
frightened. He knelt in front of her and put both of his hands on her   
knees. The look on her face burned a hole in his heart.  
  
"Tifa I'm so sorry." He whispered. One of his hands rested on her   
cheek. She shut her eyes and leaned into his touch. For so long she   
had wanted him to touch her like this. Right now she was so scared   
and frustrated, and his touch seemed to make everything else melt   
away. Her hands slowly traveled up his arms and she held his face.   
His tears burned the cuts on her hands, but she didn't care. She opened   
her eyes and looked at him. His mako blue eyes seemed to plead for  
forgiveness. Slowly, she slid off the chair and sat in front of him.  
  
Cloud's heart raced as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Ever   
so slowly, he moved his head closer to hers, and their lips met.   
Gently at first, but then he pulled her closer to him. Cloud could feel  
her heart beating as she slid her arms around his neck. One of his   
hands shook as he brought it up to sweep over her face and through   
her hair. Then Tifa's tears washed over his lips and he gently pulled   
back. He looked at her for a moment and wiped the tears away with   
his thumbs as he held her face. They embraced again, and Cloud   
mover his mouth next to her ear. "I love you." He whispered. Tifa   
smiled and then kissed him again.  
  
************************************************  
  
"What?! NO!" Scarlet beat her fists on the glass as she saw the   
Highwind turning away. Then she turned around and punched   
whoever was standing closest to her, which happened to be a young   
officer. He hit the floor hard and rubbed his jaw. Before she left,   
Scarlet kicked him in the ribs.  
  
"Forget it. They're leaving. Get back to work on Sephiroth." He   
nodded and walked down to his laboratory. Scarlet was a fool.   
She thought that she would be able to control Sephiroth like a robot.   
Those kinds of things just didn't happen. Once Sephiroth wakes   
up, he'll probably just march right out of the building, maybe he'll   
even kill everyone on his way out.  
  
That wasn't the only problem though. Jenova was dead. She had   
been what had fueled Sephiroth's rage. There was a possibility that   
when he woke up, he would just be a normal person. Either that, or   
his mind would just be mush.  
  
Jonathan stepped into the pitch-black laboratory and felt along the   
wall for the light switch. He found it and flipped it up. About a dozen   
spot lights came on. They were all trained on a glass pod in the center  
of the room in which the body of Sephiroth floated.  
  
"When will he be ready?" Scarlet asked as she came in. As she passed   
the pod she ran her finger over the glass. Her very presence made   
Jonathan sick. Many people asked him why he even worked here. It   
was mostly for the money, but he also enjoyed this kind of work. Scarlet   
was the only draw back, and it was a major one.  
  
"In another day or two." He said. /Thank goodness! Two more days,   
and then I'm out of here!/ Jonathan worked quickly to give Sephiroth   
another small treatment of mako. "Once he wakes up he might have   
a slight case of mako poisoning, but it should pass." Scarlet nodded,   
still caressing the pod. Jonathan's stomach turned, she was looking   
almost lustfully at Sephiroth.  
  
"Good, good. As soon as he's conscious tell me." With that she   
left the laboratory and went back to watch the Highwind disappear off   
in the distance.  
  
************************************************  
  
Red looked up curiously as he heard the hum of the Highwind's   
engines. Vincent looked up as well with an equally confused   
expression on his face. As he looked out the window, Red saw   
the airship rapidly approaching. He jumped off of his table and   
motioned for Vincent to follow him outside. The strange and quiet   
man quickly finished whatever it was he was reading and followed   
Red.  
  
They were surprised to see only Cid coming up the path. He was cursing  
and swearing as he bounced up and down on the back of his chocobo.   
Red remembered that the animal wasn't particularly intelligent. It proved   
this by stopping too quickly and tossing Cid off of its back. As soon as he  
hit the ground he began to scream at the bird saying things about how the   
stupid thing could keep him well fed for quite some time. The chocobo just   
happily pecked at the ground.  
  
"Cid what brings you here? And where's Cloud?" Red asked. Cid stood   
up and brushed the dirt off of his pants. Then he spit out his cigarette butt   
and looked at the chocobo. It made a soft "wark" noise. Then Cid kicked   
dirt at it and turned to Red and Vincent.  
  
"Those are two very good questions, and I would like to know the answers   
to both of them." He pulled out another cigarette and lit it up. The chocobo   
made a noise that sounded like a complaint and Cid shot an angry glance at   
it. Then it went back to pecking at the ground.  
  
"How can you not know where he is? I just talked to him a couple of minutes   
ago." Vincent said. There seemed to be a hint of concern in his voice. He   
wondered how Cloud had acted after he told him about the body in Mideel.  
  
"Oh, so you're the one who called him. Would you mind telling me what   
the heck you said, because he just left the bridge without hardly saying a   
word, and Tifa went after him. And now I can't find either of them!" He   
waved his arms in the air with frustration. Vincent had to back up to avoid  
being hit in the face. Red sat on the ground, reluctant to tell Cid the news.  
  
"Well if Cloud didn't tell you, then I guess I will. We got a report from   
Mideel some time back. It seems that after the whole ordeal with Meteor,   
a number of bodies had washed up there out of the Lifestream. One of   
them disappeared a few days later. It had been a man, probably in his   
twenties, and he had really long silver hair." The look on Cid's face   
clearly showed that he got the gist of what Red was saying.  
  
"Let's go find Cloud...fast." Cid turned to face his chocobo, but then   
walked past it. Red followed him, and Vincent took the reins of the   
poor animal and followed their increasing pace.  
  
************************************************  
  
Cloud and Tifa felt the Highwind landing outside of Cosmo Canyon;   
however, neither of them made a move to get up. They just sat there   
in each other's arms. Cloud's lips trailed down her neck and over her   
shoulder. Tifa gently rubbed the back of his head, and then she   
remembered that she had no idea why they were here. Slowly, she   
pushed Cloud away.  
  
"Why are we here?" The look on Cloud's face changed as he   
remembered what Vincent had said to him. At the moment it didn't   
seem real, and it didn't really seem to matter. All that mattered to  
him right now was staying here with Tifa. They were both so happy   
right now, and he knew that if he told her the moment would be over.   
He could not however bring himself to keep anything from her   
anymore.  
  
"Vincent called me. He said that...that some bodies had washed   
up in Mideel. One of them disappeared, and he looked like...like   
Sephiroth." A look of shock and horror crossed Tifa's beautiful face.   
Then the look turned to concern as she realized the cause of   
Cloud's outburst. She took his face in her hands and looked into   
his eyes.  
  
"It will be okay. No matter what happens...it will be okay." Cloud   
reached up and held one of her hands. He opened it up and looked   
at the cuts. There was no doubt in his mind that there would be little   
scars on her hands. Cloud was unable to stop the tears that began to   
well up in his eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" Tifa asked. It was really starting to hit him: what   
he had done to her. A tear slid down his cheek and she pulled him   
close to her again. His head rested on her shoulder, and he wrapped   
his arms around her again.  
  
"Every time you look at your hands you'll remember what I did to   
you...you'll never be able to forget..." Tifa shook her head and held  
on to both of his shoulders. She made him look into her eyes even   
though it was almost too hard for him.  
  
"No. Every time I look at my hands...I'll remember the very first   
time you told me that you loved me." With that she kissed him again.   
He held her as tightly as he could; never wanting to let her go. Reaching  
behind her, he pulled the tie out of her hair, and it fell around them   
like a curtain. He ran his fingers through it, as he had wanted to do   
so for so long.  
  
Suddenly they heard Cid's shouts coming from down the hallway.   
"Why didn't he *&$^@*% tell us?! That &#%*#^@ has to go   
and keep everything to himself. When I get my hands on him..."   
Then the door flew open. Cid stood in the middle with Red and   
Vincent on either side of him. The gruff pilot looked at the room,   
then at the two of them sitting on the floor in each other's arms.   
Cloud saw a small smile on the corners of Vincent's mouth. He   
was happy to finally see the two of them together.  
  
"What the *#%^ did you *$#&%$#(& do to this place?!?!" Cid   
looked at the broken glass all over the floor, and then he saw the   
small puddle of blood smeared on the floor. "Serves you right!   
If you're gonna go breaking stuff on my ship you should get hurt."   
As soon as he said that Cloud stood up and looked furiously at   
Cid. Tifa quickly stood up and held his arm, as if she were holding   
him back. Red wondered what had happened here. Then from   
a distance he could see the cuts on Tifa's hands.  
  
"Tifa, we should get you patched up." Red said. She looked   
down at her hands and nodded. They left the ship and began to   
walk back up to Bugenhagen's observatory.  
  
****************  
  
End Chapter 1  
  
****************  
  
Well, give me any feedback good or bad ^_^  
  
horse_w_no_name@cheerful.com  
  
http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/elfin/311/links.htm 


	2. Chapter 2

Forget Not Yet  
by Lady Macbeth  
  
  
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,  
Tears from the depth of some divine despair  
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,  
In looking on the happy Autumn-fields,  
And in thinking of the days that are no more.  
  
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,  
That brings our friends up from the underworld,  
Sad as the last which reddens over one  
That sinks with all we love below the verge;  
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.  
  
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns  
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds  
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes   
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;  
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.  
  
Dear as remembered kisses after death,  
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned  
On lips that are for others; deep as love,  
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;  
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!  
  
-Tears, Idle Tears by Alfred, Lord Tennyson  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
Pain. That's all that there was…pain. He saw nothing, heard nothing, and knew nothing. The only thing that he could perceive was intense pain that penetrated every fiber of his body. Ever so slowly, he tried to open one eye. Because it was swollen and dry, it would only open a little bit. White light was all that he could see. Everything was pretty much just a big light blur. He tried to bring his hand up to rub his eye, only to discover that it would not respond. Then he tried to move his other limbs. They wouldn't move. /What's going on?/ The only thing he could move was his eyes which now darted from side to side.  
  
This tiny motion seemed to attract the attention of someone, for a large dark blur came and stood over him. "Well I would ask how you are feeling, but where would be the sense in that?" It was definitely a man, but the voice was not familiar. Suddenly another figure stood over him.  
  
"At last! Hello darling, how are you?" When he didn't respond she became furious. "Why don't you answer me? Is it because you're angry we ruined your cute little plan? Jonathan, why won't he speak?" The man, called Jonathan, groaned and turned to face this woman.  
  
"His power of speech has been disabled. Besides, even if I did allow him to speak he would just mumble because he's got mako poisoning." Mako. That word sounded familiar. Suddenly something rushed at him from his memory. Eyes…deep blue eyes…mako eyes. There was hatred in these eyes…pure hatred. Who did these eyes belong to, and why did that person hate him?  
  
/"Mom…Tifa…my town…give it back…"/  
  
What had he done?  
  
/"I had so much respect for you…I admired you./  
  
/Oh Lord please forgive me…what…have…I…done?/  
  
*  
  
Yuffie awoke early as usual. She never got much rest these days…her mind was very preoccupied. Ever since she returned to Wutai she'd been restless. For some reason she could never stop thinking about Cloud. No matter where she went, she always saw his face. Perhaps she was falling in love with him…no that's a stupid idea. How could she fall in love with that spiky haired freak?   
  
She decided to go for a walk. Maybe it was just a crush. Those kinds of things happened all the time…but this felt different. Yuffie had never met someone like Cloud before. What if she did love him? There was no way that Cloud would ever pay any attention to her. She'd acted like such a brat when they were together. To tell the truth Yuffie didn't blame any of the others for never having visited her, or even called her.   
  
Yuffie felt so lonely now. She'd changed so much over the past few months, and now she wanted her friends back. And of course she wanted to see Cloud most of all. Perhaps she could try to prove to him that she'd matured. Maybe there was still a chance.  
  
*  
  
Cloud stepped out of the shower and toweled his hair dry. The thick blond strands fell against his face and blocked his vision. He absent-mindedly tucked both sides behind his ears. The image he saw in the mirror did not look like him at all. The face that stared back at him looked haggard and just completely wasted. Cloud had spent the past few days working with Vincent and Red. He could not -believe- the hours those two kept. He often wondered if they slept at all some nights. A few times he'd fallen asleep while reading something and when he woke up in the morning they were still at it. They'd found nothing new though. Cloud felt that his being there was just a burden on Red and Vincent's quiet lifestyle, so today they were going off to Midgar again to get those blasted files Reeve was whining about. Cloud had not told Tifa yet however. For some reason he didn't want her to go. It was just a gut feeling, but when something important was at stake, he usually trusted his gut.  
  
"Hi Cloud!" Tifa bounded into the room and held out a little red and yellow flower to him. "I found this when I was taking a walk. With all this rocky soil you hardly ever see flowers." He gently took the flower from her, and he got a rather lost and sad expression on his face. The flower reminded him of Aeris. His heart sank as he thought of her beautiful face and kind heart. He still had some feelings for her…and he missed her. If only there was some way he could go back and change what'd happened. If only he'd acted sooner…she might still be alive…but what then? Would he have acted on his love for Aeris? If that'd happened…he might never have felt the way he felt now. He finally had his Tifa. She walked up to him and started to playfully poke his belly button.  
  
"Hey don't! That tickles!" He started to double over, and that only encouraged Tifa to squeeze his sides. Cloud tried to back away, fight her off, and hold onto his bladder all at once. Then she tackled him onto the bed.  
  
"Ah. So the mighty Cloud Strife has a weakness." Tifa stopped tickling him and rested her head on her hand as he gave her a "Who me?" expression. Then she kissed him and rolled off the bed.   
  
"Where're you going?" He asked as he sat up. She looked him up and down and leaned against the doorframe. Cloud walked over to her and leaned against the wall. Then he raised his hand to rub her cheek, but she moved forward into his arms again. Her head rested on his chest and she listened to his heartbeat. Cloud stroked her hair and looked out the window. It was most likely about ten in the morning. They had to get moving soon…but what would he say to Tifa?  
  
"Hey Teef, me and the guys are gonna go over to Rocket Town today and work on fixing the Tiny Bronco. Would you mind staying here and looking after things?" Cloud almost wanted to slap himself for making up such a stupid story. Apparently Tifa wasn't buying it either. She pulled back, but left her arms around his waist. One of her eyebrows arched and she got one of those very disapproving female looks in her face.  
  
"You're going to go work on the Tiny Bronco? You don't know the first thing about mechanics. Besides, Cid never lets anyone touch his ship. You want to know what I think? I think that you're not telling me something." She watched Cloud start to break a sweat and smiled. It was quite clear that he wanted her to stay here, but she wanted to know why. Of course she didn't think that he was running off with a girl. Tifa just didn't want him to go off and have a good time without her.  
  
"Well…you're right. Man, I was never good at lying! Okay, we're going back to Midgar today. I just have a bad feeling about the whole trip, and I didn't really want you to go. Please stay here Tifa. I'd feel so much better if I knew you were safe here." Cloud wrapped his arms around her waist and pleaded with his eyes. There was no way that he would ever let anything happen to her ever again, and if something did…he would never forgive himself.  
  
"Man Cloud, I wished you just said so. I really would prefer it if you'd just talk straight to me. Oh and of course you know the answer is no way buddy!" She kissed him as he started to protest. For a moment he acted like he was ready to give up, but his stomach started to twist up again, and he parted from her. Cloud knew that something was terribly wrong. He knew that something was going to happen.   
  
Tifa watched him as he sat on the edge of the bed. Although she may not have been showing it, she was really worried as well. It was not too often that something seriously bothered Cloud, and when it happened it was usually something that one should pay attention to. Tifa sat behind him on the bed and started to rub his shoulders. He sighed and relaxed under her hands. Cloud was definitely tense, and her hands began to work away his worries.  
  
Cloud sat there for a few moments, then he turned to look at his one true love. She was still just as perfect as she'd always been. Every day for so many years Cloud had longed to touch her face and hold her in his arms. Now he could. Now he would never wish for anything more.  
  
The expression on Cloud's face finally convinced Tifa to stay. She didn't really want to be separated from him. There was something that she'd not said, and now she knew that she couldn't. Last night she'd had a dream. She'd found herself locked in a cold…dark room…alone. It seemed as though she'd spent hours screaming for someone…anyone to say something to her, but there had only been silence…deep…eternal…silence.   
  
*  
  
"What if someone discovers the spinal implant?" Scarlet asked as she watched Jonathan work. Even if the man annoyed her he was still very good at what he did. He'd recently enabled Sephiroth's power of speech, and for a while the man mumbled gibberish. Then he seemed to say something like, "What have I done?" Jonathan had to force Scarlet to keep herself from going on a tangent just ranting and raving at him. Now he was getting annoyed with her questions again. Part of him kept toying with the idea of grabbing the duct tape and taping her mouth shut.  
  
"They'd have to be pretty darn clever, not to mention fast, to get it. By the time they were able to get to it we'd have caught on to it and killed them." Jonathan adjusted the settings on the little pad on Sephiroth's neck, then he picked up a remote control that was sitting on the table next to him. It was time for the test. Jonathan touched a few of the buttons in a certain sequence, and Sephiroth sat up. Scarlet smiled with approval and grabbed the control.   
  
As she toyed with Sephiroth, Jonathan worked on programming his subject's first destination. Scarlet had hundreds of spies on every continent of the world keeping their eyes on Cloud and his friends. They'd just gotten word that they were leaving and headed here. Jon thought that Scarlet's first reaction would be to have him put his gas in the vents again and send Sephiroth upstairs. This was not however what she did. She didn't want to reveal Sephiroth's presence right away. Instead she asked her spy based in Cosmo Canyon if anyone stayed behind. When she heard who had stayed an evil smirk had appeared on her face, and once again Jonathan's stomach had turned.  
  
In his own mind Jon thought he must have been being punished for something. Scarlet refused to let him leave. She said she needed his help in working the controls, but he knew that wasn't true. He also noticed that the guards were keeping a constant eye on him. This was insanity. He'd planned to stay here just until he was done with getting Sephiroth ready. There was no way he was going to stay a moment longer in Scarlet's presence than was necessary. And he had a plan to get out…tonight.  
  
*  
  
Yuffie's little stroll evolved into a long walk that brought her out of town and far out into the middle of nowhere. Any normal person would have been hopelessly lost, but Yuffie knew right where she was. She wasn't quite sure where she was going however. Her legs and subconscious just carried her wherever they wanted to go. As for her mind, it was totally preoccupied. Thoughts of denial and love raced past. She didn't know if she loved Cloud or if it was just a crush. Girls her age got crushes all of the time and they always went away. Or so she had been told, because she'd never had a crush on anyone. She couldn't come up with any explanation for what she was feeling…except for love. No…no she couldn't be in love with Cloud. That was just impossible. Well…why was it impossible? Was she built so hard that she was incapable of love?   
  
After a while Yuffie found herself at the summit of the Ninja's Cliffs. They were so happily named because they were a test spot for training ninjas. If any normal person were to jump from them they would surely die. Yuffie however had jumped many times. At first it took great concentration not to hit the rocks below, but after a while it was easy to hit the right spot.   
  
There had however been one accident here. As Yuffie thought back to that day she looked at the bracelet on her wrist. It was given to her by one of her closest friends, if not the closest. His name was Alex. Yuffie thought of all the little pranks that they used to pull on their teachers. Those were some of the best days of her life. Then one day they were practicing duels up here on the cliffs. Alex's partner kicked his legs out from underneath him. They'd been too close to the edge. Yuffie ran to grab Alex's hand, but she wasn't fast enough. She watched him fall and hit the rocks below…that was one month ago, and it seemed like only yesterday.  
  
The night before the accident Alex had wanted to talk to Yuffie alone. These days it was almost impossible to get her alone because of the fame she'd received in helping to save the world. Alex had taken her up on the roof of his house, and he had a gift for her. He said that it was something that his mother had left him when she died. It was ironic (to say the least) that he died after giving her the same gift. It was called the Materia Bracelet. As Yuffie looked at it she saw the glowing materia that had been set in ages ago. It was actually one materia made out of smaller looking ones. As a whole it was called Ouroboros which meant…infinity.   
  
The wind whipped around her body and plastered her blue silk shirt and black pants to her skin. She unbuttoned her shirt so that the cool wind could pass easier. Her tank top was the only thing that protected her skin from the stinging ocean spray that lashed against her. For a half of a second the absurd idea popped into her head that she should just forget it all and jump. No…that would not be happening anytime soon. Suicide was the coward's way out. If Cloud could never love her, then she'd just have to live with it. But then of course Yuffie had never know what it was like to be loved and rejected. Once again that never-ending sense of loneliness overwhelmed her, and she fell to her knees and cried.   
  
*  
  
How could he have done this? He'd killed so many people…he was no longer fit to be called human. Sephiroth now fully remembered what he'd done. He'd burned a whole town to the ground. There'd been so many needless deaths.   
  
Everything had been so much simpler in the war. There he knew whom to kill and he knew why he was killing them. Now he had to live with the fact that he'd killed in cold blood. Cloud he ever become part of the world again? Could the planet itself forgive him?   
  
It was impossible for Sephiroth to make heads or tails of his situation at present. He could perceive nothing except for what was going on inside of his head. Somehow he felt like he was moving, but he thought that maybe he was just dreaming. There was one thing that he was sure of though. Sephiroth now vowed to do everything in his power to make reparations to Cloud…and he vowed to never hurt another innocent person as long as he lived…  
  
*  
  
Tifa watched as the Highwind raced across the sky. Her paranoia had caused her to lock herself in her room. Everything seemed to be setting up for disaster in her mind. She was left alone here in Bugenhagen's observatory. She had no idea what was going to happen to the man she loved with all her heart and soul, and to make things worse, there was a huge storm coming. Tifa usually loved storms, but this time it seemed to create a sense of foreboding.  
  
She opened the window and let the sweet wind rush in. It immediately seemed to calm her. There was just something about the sound of the trees rustling and thunder off in the distance. Tifa looked down and saw a dog shivering while sitting next to the bonfire. The poor thing was out there all alone, and it was scared to death. /Oh I know quite well how that feels./ Tifa thought to herself.  
  
There was no question in her mind, she had to go out and get it. However her paranoia almost prevented her from going out. As she stepped through the door the wind rushed over her. She could smell the approaching rain, and it was intoxicating. At this point she decided to just shuck her nerves out the door and have a good time without the guys. The dog slinked over to her with its tail between its legs and cowered next to her. She knelt next to it and scratched its ears. There had always been a love for dogs in her blood. They were always there for you when no one else was.  
  
Suddenly there was a huge crash of thunder and the dog whimpered. Tifa sat on the ground and let it burrow under her arm to try to find safety. That was one funny thing about dogs. They seem to think that as long as their nose is covered they're safe. Tifa laughed lightly and rubbed its stomach. She decided to stay out here until it began to rain. The feeling of the wind and the thrill of being out before a big storm always made her blood rush a bit faster…and it made her forget and problems at hand.  
  
*  
  
Cloud looked back at Cosmo Canyon and began to wonder if he'd done the right thing. What if he'd misinterpreted his feelings and leaving her there was a bad idea? He watched silently as the storm clouds began to creep towards the place where he'd left his heart…no matter what, it always stayed with Tifa. For a moment Cloud wondered if she was looking at the Highwind, and though they couldn't tell, they were looking right at each other.  
  
Love is a funny thing. It can muddle your thoughts and just make you forget everything except the one you love. At present Cloud was a victim of this exact thing. His mind was firmly set on Tifa's well being, and Cid was screaming at him to get his butt out of the way so that he could see where he was going.  
  
When Cloud made no response Cid walked up to him and kicked to part of his anatomy that he'd been telling him to move. Cloud spun around and glared at him for a moment, then he realized what'd been going on and he moved out of the way. For just one moment he turned to look back at Cosmo Canyon, he almost couldn't bare to part with her…even for just a little while.  
  
"CLOUD! Should we turn around so you can go back and get your brain?" Cid jammed his thumb in the direction they were leaving and Cloud silently shook his head. Cid could understand that Cloud was feeling mixed up, but this was getting ridiculous. They couldn't very well go off on a mission if their leader wasn't going to have his wits about him. Cid would be quite happy to give Cloud another good kick in the butt and send him back to Cosmo Canyon, and he'd be happy to take charge once again. Of course Cid wasn't too hot on the idea of being the leader the first time they asked him to, but he rather enjoyed it.   
  
"How long till we get there?" Cloud asked as calmly as he could. He didn't really   
care how long it would take, but he just wanted to try to keep his mind on the task   
at hand. He'd be of no use to his friends if he can't concentrate. Cid shrugged his   
shoulders and motioned to the horizon. He then began to talk about how if he went one   
way it would be shorter; however, if he went another way it could be even shorter but   
risky. After Cloud figured that Cid was done, he went and sat with Red and Vincent.   
The silent duo was doing just that...keeping quiet. Cloud often wondered about their   
silence. At times it seemed cold, but contemplative.  
  
Vincent motioned for Cloud to sit next to him. Cloud had to admit that at first he'd   
had his doubts about Vince, but behind this cold exterior there seemed to be a kind   
heart. To many people he didn't even seem to be human, but Cloud knew better. There   
was definitely more to this man than net the eye.  
  
*  
  
Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. This was going to turn out to be a   
dark day. Humidity and tension hung in the air, and they were almost tangible. The   
only relief was the wind, but even that had a sharp edge on it as it carried spray   
up from the sea below. Yuffie stared into the dark swirling waters and removed her   
outer shirt. As she released it into the wind it floated down into the waters only   
to be quickly torn to shreds on the sharp rocks.  
  
What was happening to her life? She'd lost her believed friends and her best friend   
in the space of only two months. There was no doubt that Cloud and the others never   
wanted to see her again. Why would they? There was absolutely no reason to ever   
contact her again.   
  
Yuffie slowly pulled out her PHS. It'd been something that she'd always kept with   
her. When she'd left the group Cloud had told her that if she ever got into trouble   
she shouldn't hesitate to call one of them. No one could help her now. Her emotions   
were her problem, and she had to deal with them. But she just couldn't handle them.   
  
The only thing that really distracted her from her thoughts was her training, which   
was now very close to completion. All of the tests were very helpful for keeping her   
mind occupied. But all training had just been too difficult since the accident...  
  
The horrible vision came to her mind again, and Yuffie shook her head as though to   
shake those thoughts from her mind. If only she'd been faster. She could have saved   
him. Yuffie began to pace across the edge of the cliff. Part of her wanted to slip   
and fall down to the rocks below...there was nothing left here...nothing.   
  
Yuffie stopped at the usual jumping place. Her eyes once again descended to the waters   
below. It seemed to just be a vast hole that invited her to fall into it forever. The   
temptation grew. Suddenly Yuffie heard someone calling her name. Her mind shut the   
voice out and she stepped up to the edge and plummeted down to the ocean below.  
  
*  
  
Something seemed to be wrong. Things just weren't right. Tifa felt as though she was   
being watched, and the dog seemed to be whimpering for reasons other than the   
oncoming storm. The poor animal wanted to run toward the door, but Tifa held onto it   
tightly. Somehow she thought of it as a sort of protection. She knew that she couldn't   
run back to the observatory. Whatever it was that was watching her would get to her   
before she got to the door.   
  
It was no longer paranoia. It was natural senses. All of the hairs on the dog's back   
began to stand on end, and Tifa finally let it go. It bolted to the door, and rushed   
inside. Tifa slowly stood up and turned around in a circle. To the eyes nothing   
seemed to be wrong...but to the other senses...  
  
Suddenly she heard a shuffling of feet, but when she spun around there was no one   
there. By now her heart was racing and finally it began to rain. At first it was   
large droplets of water, then it was coming down in sheets. Tifa began to back towards   
the door as her eyes continued to scan the area. Someone was here. She could now hear   
them breathing.  
  
"Whoever's there...show yourself! I know you're there! Show yourself!" She shouted   
into the rain and there was suddenly a huge crash of thunder. Tifa stopped dead in her   
tracks. He was behind her. She slowly turned around and stood face to face with her   
stalker. His face was expressionless, and in the rain...featureless. But Tifa saw the   
thick strands of silver hair plastered to his head, and she saw the huge sword gleaming   
in his hand. It'd been the same sword that took the life of Tifa's father...and Aeris.  
  
Tifa screamed at the top of her lungs and this demon of the past that was called   
Sephiroth lunged at her. The last thing she saw was his sword raised high over his   
head ready to come down upon her screaming form in the pouring rain. 


End file.
